Maryland Democratic senators detail additional COVID-19 relief plans for state wtop.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wtop.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Maryland Republican lawmakers are fiercely opposing a proposal to provide COVID-19 relief funds to undocumented taxpaying workers.GOP senators charge Democrats are pushing a far-left agenda, while Democrats argue issues surrounding COVID-19 must include tax fairness.A civil but heated discussion took place Wednesday on the Senate floor over legislation that would provide COVID-19 relief money to low-income taxpaying workers who are not U.S. citizens. Senate Bill 218 would benefit some 60,000 people. So we are going to spend $60 million creating a special welfare program and checks for these individuals, said Sen. Michael Hough, R-Frederick and Carroll counties. They are already paying sales tax, they are already paying property tax and they are just trying to do what they can to make sure their family can survive, so this is tax fairness, said Sen. Craig Zucker, D-Montgomery County. Today was a microcosm of the entire session. We are seeing more liberal bills get in there. It
Council supports state proposal to ban plastic bags for retail stores
Officials also back bills on broadband access, energy, ban of flavored tobacco
February 1, 2021 | 10:54 am
Montgomery County Council members are in favor of banning plastic bags in retail stores, which is proposed in a state bill.
The Plastic Bag Reduction Act would prohibit retail stores from distributing plastic carryout bags to customers, starting July 1, 2022.
Montgomery County currently charges a 5-cent excise tax on both paper and plastic carryout bags. The county could continue charging the tax for paper bags.
The County Council unanimously supported the state bill at a meeting to discuss state legislation on Jan. 25.
Though Anne Arundel County lawmakers are likely to spend significantly less time on the Capitol campus in Annapolis during the upcoming session of the General Assembly due to the coronavirus pandemic, a flurry of prefiled bills suggests they won’t be wasting any time when the bodies convene at noon on Jan. 13.They’ll tackle a wide range of legislation including proposed changes prompted by COVID-19 from evictions records and mold inspections, to environmental protections and veterans services, all via livestream during committee meetings, and while masked when they are in the chambers.